Iliff David Richardson

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Iliff David Richardson
Nickname(s)Rich
Born(1918-04-09)April 9, 1918
PT 34, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsSilver Star with oak leaf cluster[1]: 303 

Iliff David "Rich" Richardson (April 9, 1918 – October 10, 2001) was simultaneously a

US Army major while fighting with the Philippine resistance against Japan during World War II. He recounted his exploits to author Ira Wolfert, who published them in the book American Guerrilla in the Philippines in 1945. A character based on Richardson was played by Tyrone Power in the 1950 film of the same name
.

Biography

Early life

Richardson was the only surviving child of Methodist Minister Royal Richardson, who died when Iliff was three years old.[1]: vi  His mother Velma Weston Richardson taught Latin and music[2] and raised Iliff in a variety of Colorado towns and her father's Nebraska ranch, located northwest of Springview, Nebraska. After his death, the Richardsons went to live in Los Angeles.[1]: vii 

Iliff studied at

fall of France in World War II.[1]
: 303 

Wartime career

In 1940, he was commissioned an

PT 34,[3] under Bob Kelly.[1]
: 6 

PT-34 and PT-41 attacked the

US Army, setting off demolition charges in Cebu City.[4] When the Japanese captured General Chynoweth's headquarters, Richardson headed to Leyte, making it to Tacloban, and the headquarters of Col. Cornell.[1]: 34–37  Making his way to Mindanao, he learned the Japanese had already taken Del Monte Airfield, so he returned to Leyte with 11 other Americans.[1]: 40–41  With 400 pesos out of the 2000 the colonel gave him, Richardson purchased a single-masted banca and sail.[1]
: 43 

Richardson and 11 other Americans, all Air Corps but two,[1]: 52, 55  attempted to sail the native outrigger to Australia against the summer southwest monsoon,[1]: 58  but the boat was sunk by a storm on 18 May after only traveling 200 miles.[1]: 61–63  Richardson and Pierson swam 8 miles to shore in 19 hours, where his men and he were rescued by Filipinos from a fishing village.[1]: 63–73, 76 

The summer of 1942 was quiet for Richardson and the other Americans on Mindanao until September, when armed resistance against the Japanese started in

General MacArthur would recognize them.[1]
: 121 

Richardson eventually joined the Philippine guerrilla forces of

Ed Dyess.[1]: 127  McLish led Richardson to Fertig, in Misamis Occidental, where Richardson delivered Kangleon's letter.[1]: 135  While there, Richardson met Chick Parsons and agreed to set up radio stations around Leyte and Samar, and provide intelligence on Japanese ship movements.[1]: 136  Richardson rejoined Kangleon on 16 Aug., and became his chief of staff.[1]: 140, 155  He also quickly re-established the telegraph system for immediate communication of intelligence.[1]: 159  Kangleon then moved his headquarters from Maasin to Don Lorenzo's Casa in Malitbog.[1]
: 168 

Richardson was a former

ham radio operator. He set up a radio station on Leyte, manned by Joseph St. John and Chapman, and a radio station on Samar, manned by Truman Heminway.[1]: 170–171  In November 1943, under orders from Col. Fertig, Kangleon, Richardson, and other guerrilla leaders were in Mindanao to coordinate activities, and meet the submarine USS Narwhal delivering American aid.[1]: 168–178  By Christmas 1943, Richardson had a master radio set operating to communicate with Mindanao.[1]: 216  However, by then the Japanese had made the Casa, in Malitbog, their headquarters for southern Leyte.[1]
: 229 

On February 1, 1944, Kangleon's forces went on the offensive, which included attacks on Japanese garrisons at

Balangiga, Eastern Samar.[1]
: 273 

Richardson was picked up by a US destroyer during the

General Kenney.[1]: 298–299  For his work, Richardson was made a US Army Intelligence major by General Douglas MacArthur, holding commissions in the army and navy simultaneously. He is the only person to receive consecutive medals in both the Army and the Navy.[2]

When attempting to get his back pay, Richardson was told by a naval pay clerk that he was dead. After receiving his pay, Richardson was incorrectly thought to be drawing pay from both the Army and Navy. Richardson was given notices of four

Ernest King and others of his experiences, all charges were dropped and King personally apologized to him.[5]

Richardson was promoted to full lieutenant and made speeches across the United States.

Memoirs

After the liberation of the Philippines, Richardson transcribed his memoirs to

20th Century Fox bought the film rights and had Lamar Trotti write a screenplay by August 1945. The end of the war led Zanuck to shelve all films with a World War II theme. It was eventually made five years after the end of the war. The name of the central character was changed to "Chuck Palmer" and he was given a fictional love-interest for dramatic purposes, but based on Richardson's girlfriend "Curly".[1]
: 162–167, 216–218, 233 

Postwar career

Following the war, Richardson married Coma Noel and lived in Houston, Texas, where he worked as a business executive, life insurance salesman, and a consultant, as well as acting as technical advisor for several Hollywood films.[2]

Richardson also attempted to manufacture and sell a single-shot

New Haven, Connecticut, that he set up in 1946. With a wide variety of shotguns brought back from Europe and American-manufactured weapons, it did not sell very well. Thomas F. Swearingen noted in his book World's Fighting Shotguns, "The American market would not tolerate such a primitive firearm, even as a curio."[6]

Many years later, Richardson told a meeting of

Eagle Scouts that he learned how to live as a guerrilla through his days in Los Angeles Boy Scout Troop 92.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj Wolfert, I., 1945, American Guerrilla in the Philippines, New York: Simon and Schuster
  2. ^ a b c d Myrna Oliver (October 23, 2001). "Iliff D. Richardson, 83; War Hero". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ Bulkley, Robert J., Kennedy, John F., Eller, Ernest MacNeill, At Close Quarters: PT Boats in the United States Navy, 2003 Naval Institute Press, p. 24
  4. ^ Smith, George W., MacArthur's Escape, 2005 Zenith, p. 239
  5. ^ Chuck Hlava. "Rich Memories". Houston Community Newspapers.
  6. ^ Ian McCollum. "Review of Richardson's firearms".
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